Mr Bassani, 54, has caused something of a maritime shake-up. Since establishing his company in Monte Carlo in 1994, the Italian has been instrumental in rewriting the rules of yacht construction with his distinctive, high-performance designs. "Boats have been my passion, and my family's passion, since I was born," says Mr Bassani. "Spending all my summers in Portofino as a child until I was 15, and therefore spending a lot of time with the locals - both old sailors and young guys living there - saw me become

MR BASSANI on his FIVE FAVOURITE CREATIONS

"A fantastic balance of tradition and innovation; huge volume and comfort in a relatively small size. A magical combination of luxury and sustainability."

Wallygator (Nariida)

"It was the first boat in the world with all the Wally revolutionary ideas such as the use of carbon fibre for the construction of the yacht and the mast, and the easy-handling features which allow the helmsman to sail it solo."

Genie

"Surely the most-copied sailboat in the last century; the real 'fast and easy' concept."

Wallycento

"The most contemporary and unique example of Grand Prix performance with blue water cruising ability."

one of them." And it's a passion that only grew stronger. "I was fortunate enough to experience everything from cruising and racing, sailing and power, from an early age and so there came a point when I decided that the offer on the market was poor - and I wanted to improve that by changing the rules of the game."

And change the rules he did. His yachts completely broke the mould with their futuristic designs, matched only by their impressive technological advances and attention to detail and finish. "For me, style is about mixing the best that both traditional and contemporary design offers. It must reflect your soul, not that of someone else's." We couldn't agree more.